5 comments about House Rules: A Memoir.

1. Not many reviewers made mention that this is a story of mental illness much more than emotional or physical abuse in my mind. Rachel lived with a very unbalanced father and a weak mother who probably had no tools to deal with her own worthlessness and the constant demeaning by the father. Even though she was a trained social worker, Rachel's Mom wanted to keep peace and it came at a high price. I believe every word of this memoir and was glad to see it written so that Rachel could rid herself of any guilt that she could have done anything differently. She was a child and not capable, until as an adult, to go back and see how this affected her and how she now has good coping skills.



2. After reading this book and reading her parents "response," I fully believe and support Ms. Sontag and any future writings she may grace us with.
   I hope she and her sister have the best that life can bring, now, and in their future years. As to their parents, they will someday have to answer for the people they were and obviously continue to be.



3. I find this book to be a definite must read. I enjoyed a great deal, the honesty and raw experience the character shared with us all. I found her father to be a sad, sad excuse of a parent. Clearly he suffered from some sort of chemical imbalance.
   
   Quite frankly, it irritated me to no end the weakness her mother portrayed. I suppose having never been in that type of relationship maybe it is difficult for me to understand, but come on! Her daughters clearly needed her to be strong, to be their role model. I think she failed them, and to me that is so sad and oddly frustrating.
   
   To those who continue to review this book from either IL or Evanston, shame on you! You are not fooling anyone. Get help... Save your self the humiliation. Without even knowing you Rachel, I am so proud of you. Clearly it must have been difficult to write this, having to revisit all of these very hurtful moments in your childhood. KUDOS TO YOU!



4. I can't begin to understand how Rachel made it through her life the way she did. I too grew up with an abusive Parent, albeit a Step-Father, and a Mother who stood by and allowed it to happen because she was too weak to stand up to the man she married. I know all too well the lasting damage that has caused. I am 43 and still trying undo the damage that was done to me. It really affects us mentally. However, Rachel has proven that we can overcome our past by re-programming our thought process and to aim for our dreams. I applaud her for her courage,to get out and move on. What a strong person!



5. We are all a product of our childhood and past - whether it is what we remember or what we some-how forget. Rachel's memoir is both self exploratory and questioning; family, relationships, perceptions, ego and our need for acceptance and love.
   
   I don't think this book tried to present the story of an abusive childhood but rather the intense influence the family dynamic can have on each individual's perception of themselves and their lives. Rachel makes a point of stressing the advantages her family's financial situation afforded her in contrast to the less fortunate. Furthermore, she never denies her love and it's crippling affect. To me, it seemed less a diatribe of self pity but more a deep exploration of how events in our childhood can indelibly sculpture how we see ourselves and the way we deal with the future and our relationships.
   
   For that reason, I think her book resonated for so many readers. It is much more a story of love, not torture, and the conflict of need for parental approval and the realisation that our parents' faults exist and may also be reflected, or more frighteningly, reincarnated in ourselves.
   
   To that end, I think she was so curious about her father's childhood and what made him the way he was. Ironically, it was her father's (now deleted) hateful reviews of her book that made me buy it and I was so pleasantly surprised on what I expected to be a self-serving parental bashing exercise.
   
   You don't have to take sides with this book - just read it!

3 comments about Shakespeare's Wife.

1. Once again, I've read a biography about a historical figure that the author seems to know very little or nothing about. My impression while reading this "biography" was that the author's real intent was to write her own opinions about Shakespeare's plays under the disguise of calling her work a biography about his wife. There are many comparisons to Mrs. Shakespeare's wife from his plays, but nothing is fact. There are too many "maybes" to call this a biography about Shakespeare's wife. The author's true strength comes in recounting the lives of women during Shakespeare's time, but there again, nothing is certain about what Ann did or did not do. Was he present at the birth and deaths of his children? The assumption that it was possible is not enough for me. What his feelings may have been about the death of his son is not enough for me. I find the sections on literary comparisons tedious; the sections on the lives of women at the time are fascinating. That the author is very knowledgeable about English history and Shakespeare is unquestionable, but that the author has hard historical facts about his wife is questionable.



2. Greer is well known as a significant feminist writer (The Female Eunuch) and general social critic. She also holds a doctorate in English literature and enjoys a less generally known reputation as a competent literary scholar. She has a long-standing interest in Shakespeare and his works. Here she takes on a difficult task: Telling the story of Ann Hathaway's life and her marriage to Shakespeare.
   
   Hard facts about Shakespeare himself are notoriously few, but there are far fewer about Hathaway. During their lifetimes few if any people kept personal journals or diaries, letters were few and seldom contained personal revelations (for one thing, paper was quite expensive and there was no public mail). So collections of private and personal papers of any kind are simply not available, making it practically impossible to gain insight into the inner world of even public figures of the time, let alone ordinary people such as Hathaway or that "common player" Shakespeare himself. This is a monumental problem facing all who seek to portray the life of anyone who lived before relatively recent times.
   
   Authors are driven to public records of various kinds such as court and tax records, deeds, church records, wills, charters and the like which they then supplement with more or less informed inference and, very often, speculation. Biographers of Shakespeare have done this for years (indeed for centuries) and in the process have created a very unfavorable portrait of Hathaway. She is the older and unscrupulous man-hunter who traps young Will into marriage. She contributes nothing to his life, much less to his work, and he must abandon her to realize his creative destiny. There is no hard evidence for any of this and Greer sets out to challenge it.
   
   Greer, of course, is also constrained by a lack of hard facts, even more so because Hathaway's life left fewer traces in the records. To build her picture of Hathaway, Greer examines the records of Stratford and other relevant environs to build a picture of the sorts of lives led by women like Hathaway (and by their men) in their contemporary social context. The effort is multi-layered, deeply informed and occasionally compelling as Greer creates a rich picture of the common life of the time.
   
   Greer argues strongly that, except for Shakespeare's unusually young age, Hathaway's marriage was not unusual in its time, that Hathaway and her clan were probably a step up for the Shakespeares, that Hathaway was neither ugly nor a shrew, that she did not drive Shakespeare away and that there was probably love between Ann and Will, at least initially. In addition, Hathaway made a living for herself and children in Stratford while Shakespeare was in London or on the road and repaired and kept up the ramshackle house (New Place) that Shakespeare bought. She was also almost certainly literate. In fact, Greer argues, Shakespeare probably wrote one of the sonnets (No. 145) for her and possibly others as well. Hathaway may also have played the pivotal roll in the publication of the First Folio.
   
   Greer's point, as I take it, is that a "good" Ann Hathaway is at least as readily inferred from the limited evidence as is the "bad" Ann Hathaway of tradition. This point she amply demonstrates, with some strictures on the biases and carelessness of traditional biographers along the way. Greer's arguments are strong and based on great knowledge of the time and its culture and (to me at least) are persuasive. In the end, however, Greer's position too is circumstantial. Given the state of the evidence, I doubt that more is possible.
   
   A final word: This is a good and deeply learned book, unusually so for a book intended for the general reader. It is well and clearly written, with great attention to, and respect for, evidence. It is careful in its inferences. It is neither wild nor flashy and it does not "read like a novel." It requires time and attention but will repay them.



3. This book, ostensibly about Ann Hathaway Shakespeare (1556-1623), is packed with fascinating research, but a lot of it is not about Ann directly, and some of the connections are a bit tenuous. Because of this, I found it a difficult book to get into; but having finished it, I think it was worth the effort--it is important, provocative, and very informative, especially about the lives of Stratford women who were peers and contemporaries of Ann. It also sheds a little light on the mysterious woman who was Shakespeare's wife.
   
   Greer aims to rescue Ann Hathaway from the traditional view that she coerced William Shakespeare into marrying her, that he consequently left her and the children to seek his fortune in London, and that he ultimately slighted her in his will. Greer examines the evidence (or lack thereof) for each of these points, and advances (sometimes many) alternative interpretations, often based on meticulous details about similar women.
   
   Against the first point, Greer persuasively argues that Ann didn't entrap Shakespeare by pregnancy, but rather he wooed her, although Ann had "good reason to resist Will's advances: he was too young; he had been trained to no trade that we know of, and his family, having nursed pretensions beyond their means, had run into serious financial trouble." He probably stood to gain more from the match that she did: "Will was certainly young and witty, possibly handsome, but he had nothing else to offer the kind of girl, who, as a sober, industrious, patient, frugal wife, would help him repair his family's ruined fortunes." The young lovers probably weren't forced into marriage, but instead followed the tradition of handfasting (a family wedding ceremony), then consummating the union, and upon pregnancy going to church to solemnize the marriage. By the end of Elizabeth I's reign, the Anglican church would have (mostly) ended this practice, but handfasting was still common in 1582, as borne out by the examples and statistics that Greer musters.
   
   After William went away to London, but before he became successful, Ann must have supported herself and her children, probably by brewing ale, curing bacon, and baking bread, with perhaps some haberdashery on the side. She may also have been instrumental in the brilliant match of their eldest, Susanna, to the physician John Hall. Greer suggests that a condition of the match may well have been making Susanna the sole heiress of William Shakespeare's estate. If so, then Will leaving Ann only the "second best bed" in his will would not be a slight, as it is usually interpreted. Aside from the bed (which was probably their marriage bed and quite valuable) and a possible dower right of one-third of the estate, Ann would have been able to choose things from their personal effects before his death. Some of Will's papers, revisions of the plays and so forth, were conceivably among those things; and Ann (probably literate, as Greer argues early in the book) could have been an important part of the First Folio project.
   
   In the process of rehabilitating Ann, Greer sometimes goes too far, I think, in the other direction, disparaging Ann's husband (and some of his biographers, like Stephen Greenblatt). In addition to the often sarcastic references to "the Bard" and "the bardolators," she reverses the usual interpretation of his leaving Stratford as escaping his wife:
   "Ann Shakespeare could have been confident of her ability to support herself and her children, but not if she had also to deal with a layabout husband good for nothing but spinning verses . . . When the chance arose to send him off to London in the train of some dignitary or filling in for someone in a group of players, she could well have jumped at it and sent him south with her blessing."
   
   In spite of the shortcomings of her book, Germaine Greer should be applauded for this fascinating and important study about the woman who was Shakespeare's wife.

5 comments about Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman.

1. After reading this text, it is very clear to me why Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman is considered to be a classic in anthropological literature. Shostak does a fascinating job telling the story of Nisa, a fifty something female member of the !Kung tribe in the Kalahari desert of Africa. The !Kung are classic hunter and gatherers.
   
   The majority of the text is essentially an interview between Nisa and Shostak about Nisa's daily life (the remainder of the text is narrated by Shostak), and the experiences that she has had regarding many aspects of life, including marriage, childbirth, and sex, and family life.
   
   The text is exploding with interesting details of !Kung life. For Example, according to the !Kung, the gods gave them a wonderful thing when they gave them sex. The !Kung people spend much time talking about sex and about sexual endeavors. Also, !Kung women predict the coming of their menses by the phases of the moon. If the moon comes and goes without the commencement of menstruation, pregnancy can be suspected. This suspicion greatly increased when other symptoms of pregnancy are present, such as nausea or unusual emotion. This ethnography is jam packed with great conversation starters such as these.
   
   In Nisa, Shostak manages to include an abundance of dialogue of Nisa and additional narration, while simultaneously producing a very easy read. Nisa is a must read for anthropology students, those wanting to know more about the !Kung people, or anyone who enjoys biographies.



2. Marjorie Shostak offers readers an interesting and insightful account of her relationship with a member of the !Kung San people of the Kalahari Desert during the early 1970s, a woman known by the pseudonym "Nisa," in her seminal work Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman. The book is a coupling of both Shostak's ethnographic insight and Nisa's life history told in her own words, along with some very interesting photos taken by the author. Shostak admittedly runs into barriers that she must cross, particularly as to whether or not she can trust Nisa, who the rest of the tribe regards as a liar, but really, much can be seen in the lies that people choose to tell as well as the truths. Either way, Nisa's stories are compelling and give the reader a great window into their hunter-gatherer society and the dynamics that make it work. It reveals techniques of tribal socialization and ethic reasoning, the importance of intimacy, as well as offering a model (however debatable it may be) for the ways in which the status of women is compromised by changing demographics.
   
   Nisa's life history account reveals many instances in which can be seen a socialization process that is meant to turn her into a more productive and adaptive person in society. These instances can especially be seen in Nisa's childhood. The !Kung place a high value on sharing in their culture, and Nisa's early tendencies to selfishly covet and hoard food for herself was counterproductive to this ideal. Nisa's mother dealt with her daughter's stealing firmly, often hitting her and screaming such things like, "Nisa, stop stealing! Are you the only one who wants to eat klaru? Now, let me take what's left and cook them for all of us to eat. Did you really think you were the only one who was going to eat them all?" (Shostak 53). By this form of punishment, her mother not only chastised Nisa for her counterproductive actions, but she also reinforced the social norm of the culture - namely, sharing.
   
   Nisa's life history account is also filled with stories of intimacy. The frequency of these stories, as well as her descriptions, reveal much about !Kung principles and social organization. Marjorie Shostak at first assumes that Nisa's focus on sexual matters is her attempt at finding a common ground with a fellow woman, but she soon realizes that it is in fact quite characteristic of !Kung society. The !Kung say that "when the gods gave people sex... they gave us a wonderful thing" and its importance is seen as significant as that of food in sustaining life (Shostak 237). They find talk of sex to be important and it is often used as the subject of jokes "in a deliberate way to dispel tension" such as making pornographic gestures to cheer a man up who had been spat in the eye by a cobra (Shostak 237).
   
   But the act brings out other qualities of !Kung life as well. Many men and women of the society frequently take secret lovers. They see it as an exciting and passionate alternative when those fires have burned out between their spouses. For many women, especially, self-esteemed is gained through their secret games and rendezvous. It also symbolizes another belief among the !Kung, namely, the vitality of women and sex in the social organization: "women are strong; women are important... because women possess something very important, something that enables men to live: their genitals. A woman can bring a man back to life, even if he is almost dead. She can give him sex and make him alive again. If she were to refuse, he would die!" (Shostak 257).
   
   However, despite the powerful feelings a woman may have for her lover(s), it is very important to them that responsibility to their husbands are their main priority, signifying another element in the social organization. Even their lovers understand, as one of Nisa's did when she did not show as promised. He said, "if it was because of your husband, that's all right. But if you do it again, I'll beat you!" (Shostak 245). As Nisa explained:
   
   "When a woman has a lover, her heart goes out to him and also to her husband. Her heart feels strong towards both men. But if her heart is small for the important man and big for the other one, if her heart feels passion only for her lover and is cold toward her husband, that is very bad. Her husband will know and will want to kill her and the lover. A woman has to want her husband and her lover equally; that is when it is good" (Shostak 257).
   
   Perhaps the most significant aspect of this work is the changing status of !Kung women as result of environmental and demographic change. Traditionally, !Kung women have experienced relative equality with men. This is do mainly to the hunter-gatherer existence in which they live, for "!Kung women are recognized by men and women alike as the primary economic providers of the group" by gathering vegetables, roots, etc. (Shostak 216). However, as Tswana and Herero herdsmen have been in the past century moving in on their territory, and whose "village sites expanded to encompass more of the traditional !Kung waterholes, maintaining the !Kung way of life became increasingly difficult" (Shostak 194). This change has affected woman, though, most of all. As some of the !Kung began to settle in these villages they became second-class citizens, for the women's pattern of child caring began to see drastic changes. While these women had previously had a child perhaps once every four years, now those "who live more sedentary lives have shorter birth spacing between children" (Shostak 195). This could be because of cow's milk's effects of birth patterns or women being "better fed and less active," but "in any case, with two children to carry, the women are less likely to go gathering; they become more dependent of the new food sources, animal husbandry and agriculture" (Shostak 195). Because the role that gave women their equal position is now being threatened, so too is their status.
   
   Shostak's study works on a number of levels, and can indeed by appreciated on many as well. Whether one is interested in an ethnographic study of hunter-gathering tribes, or is concerned about feminist issues, or would just like a unique and interesting tale that provokes consideration, this book comes highly recommended.



3. The book is written by Shostak a woman, about Nisa also a woman, and that makes it more appealing because it deals with a lot of women issues. I know that Marjorie Shostak is now dead and Nisa is dead too. When you live with the author and the person she is writing about all this time it suddenly becomes a part of your life and you begin to mourn their death. I really admire Nisa and all these !Kung women and how courageous they live but I also know they don't live according to this book anymore. Long a go they changed their lifestyles.



4. Nisa is an autobiography of a young girl who is part of the Kung tribe. I feel that this book was a very easy read, and some parts of it were interesting but others weren't.
   
   The Kung people have many cultural customs and traditions, such as a woman should give birth alone and in silence, or you shouldn't drink your mother's breast milk if you have a younger sibling. But, Nisa is sort of a rule breaker, or as we would call her, a rebel. Nisa had three husbands, I think. Now, many women in America have had multiple husbands so it's not that big of a deal but along with Nisa's three husbands she has at least 17 affairs, or as they called them lovers. When her husband would go out to hunt for two or three nights another man would sneak to Nisa's hut and they would make love until her husband came back. Many times Nisa got caught, and many times she didn't.
   
   Nisa sometimes had reasons for leaving her husbands, but one of them she just didn't like. The Kung have something that is called a tribe headman. This man decides whether it is ok to get a divorce or not. One of the times Nisa didn't even go to the tribe's headman she just went back to her mother's village. Another time Nisa's husband, who was the father of her children died. Nisa cried and cried, but eventually she got over it. Nisa's next husband was a different story. He beat Nisa all the time, sometimes her back even swelled up. Nisa went to the headman to tell him that she wanted a divorce, but he gave her husband another chance. The next time Nisa went with bruises and the headman told her that she could divorce her husband.
   
   Nisa got pregnant many times, but actually only had 2 kids, one girl and one boy. The Kung people believe that women can have miscarriages in many different ways. For example, they Kung believe that, if the child is not wanted by the mother of father that god will take it away from them. Another way is if the mother is hit or injured while she is pregnant the baby may leave her. Nisa miscarried for many reasons. A lot of the time it was because it wasn't her husband who caused her to get pregnant, it was one of her lovers and it was hard for her to tell her husband, so she just kept lying. Another time Nisa's 3rd husband got very mad at her and hit her with a stick, which made it seem as if the baby wasn't wanted.
   
   Like I said before, I thought that Nisa was a very easy read, but it was still very informative. I really enjoyed how each chapter had a little bit about the culture, and a little bit about Nisa and how she fits in with her culture. Because the book was like that, it made it easier to stay interested because it wasn't 20 pages all about the same thing. I thought it was kind of cool that Nisa was a rebel, because if Nisa just followed all her customs it wouldn't be a very interesting book to read. Nisa seemed like she was very intelligent. She knew how to work her way out of trouble, how to cover up things that she knew she did wrong, and most of all how to lie. I never said that she was necessarily intelligent in a good way. If I were to compare this book to The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, I would say that I enjoyed this book more. I think this is because The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down had whole chapters about the war and their trip to America but I was more interested in Lia herself. That's why I liked Nisa so much, the book was more about her then the culture.
   
   I recommend Nisa to people who are interested in autobiographies, but ones that are also about other cultures. I think this book offers a wide range of topics and is a very good book to debate this book. If I were to rate this book I would rate it 4 stars, because it kept me interested yet it was a very easy read.



5. Majorie Shostak's account of her anthropology trip to Africa's Kalahari Desert examining the rituals, lifestyles and existence of the !Kung tribe is not to be read like an expanded version of a National Geographic article. It is written with academic rigor and precise examination of a !Kung woman Nisa. The majority of the book is told through Nisa's words which are translated into English with as much accuracy possible by Shostak. Shostak prefaces each chapter with a more general description of the events of Nisa's life which follow. The !Kung have such a different life style than Westerners, so naturally the story telling methods Nisa uses are a little unfamiliar. There is much more repetition of certain phrases and ideas that some of us might find excessive. If one can get past this they will soon see what an expert Nisa actually is. Also it is a tribute to Shostak that she didn't slice up the narrative to make it more accessible for Westerners.
   
   The book in begun with an extensive introduction, about 40 pages. Although at first this might feel over detailed and cumbersome, it is a necessity to read it before jumping into Nisa's narrative because some of the actions taken might seem unfathomable without a better understanding of !Kung life. For instance, when Nisa describes stealing and hoarding food for herself as a child, we might feel she is extremely selfish. But after reading the introduction we understand that in !Kung life there is virtually no private property. Imagine being a young child and having nothing of "your own." I think we all would have stolen to some extent. Also during the time the book was written there was a struggle within the anthropology communities as to whether these "field work" expeditions we're even worth taking. There were many who thought that the "white man" was so engrained with his own cultural sense of morality that any attempt to interpret or understand someone different would be wasted time. So it is possible that in parts of the long introduction Shostak was justifying to her academic circle why it was important that she did go to see another kind of life.
   
   After the introduction is over, we move into various important events in Nisa's life, described by Nisa and prefaced by Shostak. Although these interviews were not given chronologically they are presented in as workable a series events as possible. We are taken first through her childhood in which Nisa's mother has her second child and no longer allows her to breast feed because it is believed that once her younger brother is born, it is his milk. We are then taken, to various cases of childhood problems. The `Discovering sex' chapter is worth noting, children go away and as Nisa says "play sexually". Although the parent's sometimes mildly scorn this, they remember how important is was for them in developing as sexual beings, so they pretty much look away. I think that our incredibly sexually conservative and private culture could learn something from this. It shouldn't necessarily be discouraged for children to discover certain aspects of themselves, and have sexual feeling, (we should stop pretending as if they don't!)
   
   We are then taken through trial marriages; theeseoften "fail", because the girl married is too young. The most important events in a !Kung woman's life are first menstruation, marriage, and childbirth.
   
   Another chapter worth noting is most clearly illuminates why Shostak's expedition into the Kalahari was so vital to understanding !Kung life. The chapter entitled 'Change' accounts the arrival of the very different Christian cattle herders. The Hero brought, (among other things), permanent villages, alcohol, western religion, tobacco, etc. Although some people might consider some of these things "civilization", (and I would not count myself among this crowd), the sad truth is that !Kung culture is dieing. More and more are forsaking the old way of life for the much more stable continuous food source. And even if the corrupt regimes they live under exploit their way of life to promote tourism, they are being stifled the the exact same regimes. Nisa's generation is the last link to the nearly completely un- westernized !Kung life. Without Shostak's magnificent book we would have a much harder time understanding this beautiful nomadic way of life.
   
   One of the amazing thing about this book, unlike many other cross cultural examinations, is that it doesn't concentrate on some of the "shocking" taboos that might have made it a bestseller, (just under Tom Clancy). It instead just tells the story of a woman. One does not finish it and say, "wow they're different they need Jesus." One feels a connection to Nisa, and we realize not that we are different but that we are more similar than we would know or like to know. This also shows us that they're clearly are universal human emotions. Nisa goes through, love, hate, guilt, grief, regret, resentment, fear, happiness, etc, just like every human being! To go through it is to be human. Even in a culture totally different than ours these emotions are still there. In an age where we feel like we must "spread democracy", like we're spreading humanity, it is all the more important to realize that the same humanity exists whether or not they are infested with corrupt corporate puppets. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels lie they want to know more about other societies, and ways of life, in a more in depth format.
   
   We have two wonderful women to thank for this powerful book on !Kung life, or !Kung life as it should be.

5 comments about A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle.

1. I stumbled across this book when searching for something else. I was intrigued by the title because I once traveled to Scotland and wanted to visit Cawdor, but it was closed as it was the off season. I did however travel the general area, and I looked forward to reading about her life at Cawdor. I was richly surprised to uncover a wonderful gem of a memoir filled with references to the Scottish landscape I so enjoyed visiting. Ms. Campbell is an excellent writer. Her use and command of the English language was a pleasure to experience. Her story, and that of her siblings, was something out of a fairy tale in many regards, yet it was also a nightmare, easily recognized by others who grew up with an alcoholic parent. I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it highly. I have tremendous respect for her, cemented by the fact that in the notes at the end of the book, she thanked her mother for her permission to share with readers intimate, yet privately painful experiences of her marriage. I greatly look forward to another book penned by Ms. Campbell.



2. This was a beautifully written memoir about what goes on behind closed doors in the so called "upper class" Campbell family. Sad to see what drugs and alcohol can do to someone who had so much already and so much to give (but didn't). I found the historical background to the scottish aristocracy really fascinating and educational without being boring. I would have liked to know more about the other members of the family and how they all felt about the way they were ultimately betrayed by their father and revolting step-mother.



3. Liza Campbell's account of growing up at Castle Cawdor is hard to put down. She shares the tale of intensly personal detail which left me a bit envious at the end of the first chapter, but weary with relief by the end of the book. The story had an enevitability, yet was surprisingly fresh as it rocketed to the horrible conclusion. She was brutally honest, right up until the conclusion, where I felt that her love for her father greatly softened her final assessments.



4. I found this book well-written and thoroughly engrossing, although I believe that the original British title ("Title Deeds") is more descriptive of the contents, particularly given the current and continuing legal wranglings. However, the double entendre would be lost, I think, on most Americans. The author aptly calls this a personal memoir, rather than a biography, of her father, but I couldn't shake the feeling that, notwithstanding her attempt at some rudimentary psychoanalysis of and conciliation with her father's memory in the final chapter, she is still highly conflicted about her feelings concerning not only her father, but also her birth mother and stepmother. Charmed life? I don't think so.



5. I was very disapppointed in this book and am very surprised it has received so many positive reviews. It was shallow and offered little - if any - insight into the author's family. The stories were superficial and often just depicted the author's narrow view of each set of circumstances.
   I am now reading Miranda Seymour's book "In My Father's House," and the difference is remarkable. It is so much more insightful and the writing is outstanding.

5 comments about Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman.

1. The movie made from this woman's life, The Inn of the 5th Happiness, was great. This book is even better. There are more miracles told of, and of course it is free of any Hollywood add-ons. This is the story of a parlor maid who feels a call, of all things, to go to China. She meets only discouragement and is told by a local missionary board that she is not qualified. But Gladys audibly hears from YHWH that she is to go. She saves her pennies and takes a train, alone, from England to China!
   
   On the trip Gladys just barely escapes being abducted by greedy and lascivious (to put it mildly) Communists who think she could be useful as they think a missionary is a machinist. When she gets to China - where she speaks not one word of the language - all she has to greet her is a 73 year old missionary living in virtual poverty who had prayed for a young woman to come and replace her. Good thing. The elderly lady died in about a year. Gladys became an inn keeper for mulemen, and a government foot inspector (the Chinese law was saying women could no longer bind their feet.)
   
   Wherever she went she preached the Gospel fearlessly and won many converts, including the local Mandarin who became a great friend of hers. Along the way she gave up her dream of one day marrying and having her own children. But she had plenty of children - I think about 20 officially, some abandoned, orphaned, or bought from those who were going to sell them for evil purposes. She also managed to get 100 children - 3 to 16 years old - over "impassable" mountains, mostly alone and mostly with only the meager food they could beg in their war ravaged area. They needed to reach a Christian missionary orphanage and did so - though at the cost of Glady's health in many ways. As always, people who give up all to follow Abba's call are very humbling, and when they triumph against all odds, we are inspired. What was also encouraging to me was that Gladys was not a bulwark of faith every minute. She sometimes questioned our Heavenly Father, and called out to Him in desperation like all the rest of us. And just as with us, He often answered her prayers at the very last minute!
   
   Though this little missionary had many hardships and trials, I'm sure she would not trade with those of us who sit reading her story in luxury in our climate controlled homes, with full bellies. I guess only those who live so fully dedicated to Yahusha ever really know what true adventure is, or what the truest fulfillment really is.
   
   "When the saints go marching in" I would guess this humble little lady will be among those placed at the head of the line.



2. What an amazing woman - I first heard her story as a radio drama on Moody radio, and was so facinated I had to read her life story. If only there were more like her today, what tremendous growth the kindgdom of Christ would experience!



3. THE BOOK ITSELF WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. I ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK. IT WAS HARD TO PUT DOWN. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ANYONE.



4. This is an amazing book that I happened upon by accident. I have shared it with others who were impressed when reading about the life of this unassuming missionary. It was truly inspirational. I highly recommend this book.



5. Get this book!!!
   You won't be able to put it down, there are many books and even a movie (made Hollywood style, which Gladys didn't like) but the movie let me know about Gladys Alward
   
   But this book, written withe the help of a Christine Hunter, gives Gladys Alward's story in her own words!

5 comments about Someday My Prince Will Come: True Adventures of a Wannabe Princess.

1. I like to vary my reading diet, and this was a great bite in the chick-lit buffet. It was fun, honest and humorous -- keeping me glued till the end. For someone who's looking for a story to keep you happily distracted, this is the book for you. Jerramy Fine was extremely focused and dedicated to her dream, which is always refreshing. I finished it with a smile.



2. I was very impressed with Jerramy's honesty of her story and her ability to laugh at herself. She writes with such intelligence and wit while telling her story that it makes it difficult to put down the book as it left me wondering what was going to happen next. I found it very easy to relate to her story and her desire for something more. I also grew up in a small town in Colorado and found myself reliving my childhood as she spoke about county fairs, pick-up trucks with rifles hanging on the gun rack. I know exactly what she was talking about when she describes moving to a new, strange city where you expect so much right away. I also loved reading about the different men she was interested in and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only girl in the world who didn't get that call after the "perfect evening"! Haha!
   Thank you, Jerramy, for sharing your wonderful story!



3. I picked this book up before a long car ride, hoping for something light and interesting. While I did find this book interesting enough to at least finish, it was a sappy, insipid piece of work that made me greatly dislike the character, and as a result, the author.
   
   I agree with another reviewer that her character was flat, with no real growth in personality throughout the book - drink, party, drink, party, make out, get dumped, make fun of parents, drink, party. Does she ever really learn about love, friendship and the pursuit of something greater than being English Royalty? It doesn't seem so - the last chapter serves as an "epilogue" but the jump from the chapter before to that doesn't show that the author/character has actually learned anything.
   
   The sheer amount of alcohol in this book makes it inappropriate for teenagers (I'm surprised anyone thought it was), but really, this book is a waste of time for any reader.



4. Someday My Prince Will Come is the best book I have read in a very long time!! The very talented Fine takes you into her past and you can't help but be captured inside the brilliantly written true story of her dreams.There are little inserts that make it so interesting, and the fact that its real people is what brings the book life! Jerramy will have you laughing and smiling as you read this book. It is definately a page turner! The only thing bad I can say about the book is that I didn't want to end!! I look forward to her future books and am telling everyone I know to grab this book and get ready for a great time!



5. I couldn't put this book down! Someday My Prince Will Come is not only for girls who dream of being princesses but for anyone who has a dream of doing anything outside the box. It is inspiring to see someone actually go for their childhood dreams and come out satisfied. Each page is exciting and humorous with footnotes that give added details to English life. The book left me with hope that I can achieve my dream too!

5 comments about Living History.

1. A very real, open look into the life of Hillary Rodham Clinton. She dares to be vulnerable in many areas of the book, while maintaining the class and dignity she is known for by her fans. A great read...I couldn't put it down.



2. For me, the book was particularly a big bore. It seems as though her autobiography is an attempt to glorify her years sidelined in the White House. The book can only be truly enjoyed by Hillary enthusiasts. I'm not a critic of Hillary Clinton, but specifically this book was written with very dry, shriveled style. If you'd like to read a decent biography of Hillary Clinton, I suggest Carl Bernstein's biography of her.



3. A Memoir Review: Living History
   By Hillary Clinton
   
   Upon witnessing abridged television clips of Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign speeches, I made the ignorant assumption the Presidential hopeful was clueless: "she's the wife of a former President; based on what professional formation does she speak?" The impression was unjustifiable. I considered her candidacy an attempt to re-establish the family name given former President Bill Clinton's embarrassing impeachment. Politics, after all, is much more than meets the eye, and as I discovered via the woman's autobiographical memoir Living History, Hillary Rodham Clinton is certainly much more than meets the eye.
   
   My primary reason to pick up Clinton's book was to learn about her political career--nevertheless, the work covers her early life extensively. This is appropriate, and crucial to set the context of her years as an executive. The initial chapters are engaging: not only are they an insightful look into Hillary as a young woman, but also an insightful look at being an American youth in the sixties. Clinton's extensive resume is testament to her scholarly knowledge, and her presence behind the scenes at The White House contributes to an equally significant practical knowledge. Hearing of her pioneering speech at Wellesley College, the first student to have ever given a commencement address, her entry into the all-male Rose Law Firm, and her intertwining of typically hardball politics and compassionate child work made me recognize Hillary Rodham was bound for a high-profile political career long before meeting William Jefferson Clinton.
   
   Clinton's writing embodies humanistic qualities, as if she is still an accessible advocate for everyday hiring. This fact is emphasized by her commentary on routine activities, and her naming of each political associate with which she worked. This latter aspect truly fleshes out the memoir--regardless, the squat descriptions of her colleagues sound unappealingly phoney. Everybody in Arkansas seems to be a close friend of the couple: "As soon as Bill and I became a couple, they became friends of mine. And their sons became close to Chelsea" (Clinton 105). Speaking of partner Sara Ehrman, a member of Senator McGovern's legislative staff, "We sized each other up and decided we would enjoy the ride together, and it was the start of a friendship that endures today" (Clinton 60).
   
   Alluding to "businessman and longtime politico" Jim McDougal, he "was a character: charming, witty and eccentric as the day is long" (Clinton 87). Admiring former Mayor of Little Rock, "Webb Hubbell was a big, burly, likeable man" (Clinton 80). Referring to trip director Kelly Craighead, "she had a lot of insight, dedication and spunk." Clinton chooses three formulaic adjectives to describe each of her acquaintances, and the mechanical style soon becomes tedious. The technique corroborates the "safeness" of Clinton's autobiography: nothing shocking, nor a "tell-all"--simply reserved commentary of nationally and personally historic moments. Understandable, since she would be running for President six years later. In this sense, I do believe there were ulterior motives for the memoir's release; the 2003 year of publishing was opportunely timed for Clinton's 2008 candidacy. The latter stipulation supports my learning that a Presidential campaign begins as soon as one shakes hands with the lowest-ranking political official twenty years from an official convention, and that one's private life will be increasingly scrutinized and distorted.
   
   There is little mention of the financial burden statewide and national elections place on nominees, which I found surprising given Bill Clinton's numerous campaigns. This is insight I was looking forward to reading about, given its increasing importance in our visually driven and electronic society.
   
   Though I have not reached the chapters focussing on the infamous Whitewater scandal, nor her conversations with Eleanor Roosevelt, I have already changed my impression of Hillary Rodham Clinton: she is a well-informed Democrat, whose has consistently demonstrated her leadership skills. Clinton is an activist currently living in manner she has promoted all her life, literally living history.



4. So many people want to give their opinion of Hillary and not the book itself. I found the book extremely interesting and informative and the information she provides about all of the things she learned as First Lady I do feel made her perfectly well suited to become President. She knows all the appointments that need to be made, all the jobs that need to be filled, and she's learned what types of comments and actions can get you in trouble while in the White House. I find her incredibly smart and had no idea of all the different issues that she is familiar with and all the people and friends she has made over the years who can and do give her insight. All in all a delightful book and a good read.



5. Most conservatives give this book 1 star. Why? EVERY conservative should read this book. Now if I were judging it purely as a memoir, let's just say that James Frey has nothing on Hillary Clinton when it comes to "embellishment" (or should we call it "mis-writing"?).
   
   But for those conservatives who know how to do a web search or two, this book is rife with useful material. Contrast her story of Watergate versus Jerry Zeifman's account, for instance. Or read pages 440, 448, 465-466 on her account of how she and Chelsea learned about Monica Lewinski (and then ask after repeating the names Juanita Broaddrick, Elizabeth Ward, Paula Corbin, Kathleen Wiley, Gennifer Flowes, Paula Jones, etc. "So, you're telling me that this is how it went down? OK, so choose -- is she the dumbest woman in America or the biggest liar?").
   
   For a real laugh, read her account of Whitewater -- seriously, if you read this out loud, people would think you're doing a comedy routine.
   
   And her rewriting of the history of her health insurance debacle and the aftermath is priceless. Her tales of Bill's leadership and how she was a support are gems.
   
   EVERY conservative should buy several colors of highlighters and read this book (preferably alongside a copy of Dick Morris' Rewriting History). Besides, with every book purchase, you get a free dartboard (the cover).

5 comments about Reunion in Barsaloi.

1. Well I read the White Masai with the intention to be as open minded as possible and to try to understand why a White European woman would want to marry someone who was of another race and culture. Well the first book was entertaining in that I found myself reading to find out what kind of horrible situation this silly woman would find herself in next. She showed total disrespect for the Masai people and their culture and then ran off wit the man's daughter when things didnt go the way she imagined they would go which must have been very embarrassing for him as a warrior.
   
   Anyway this book, was probably the most boring book that I have ever read. I had to force myself through it, waiting for something to actually HAPPEN. But nothing never happened worth note, it was just the author cashing in on the story once again. I have had more interesting trips to the grocery store that I could write about.



2. Corrine Hoffman wrote 3 books regarding her life experience in Kenya. She is the first white woman to marry a Masai Warrior, lives in the Bush and has a daughter with him. She goes back to Switzerland and then visits Kenya again 14 years later. This is a non-fiction series that is exciting, well written and easy to read. It shows courage and relates to life. The first book is called the White Masai and the second book is Back From Africa. This is the third book where she returns to Kenya for a visit to her family there without her daughter.



3. This book can stand on its own but ideally you should read "The White Masai" and "Back From Africa" first. You will not regret traveling with Corinne Hofmann on any of her journeys. She has had an amazing, colorful life....and I'm sure there's more she'll share with us. I do hope she'll write at least one more as she does have unfinished business in Africa and I'm looking forward to hearing about its resolution.



4. I feel the same way! These books are a waste of time. I am a very open minded person and have a family who lived with the Masai people for 5 years. That's why I was interested in her books in the first place. But my family can truly appreciate what these people have gone through and lived with them for years and still visits.
   They received much more respect and attention from the Masai than she seemingly ever did. She just seems as though she is making a good living off of a lousy experience.
   Did she have to go through intense rituals to become a member of their society? No, she just slept with a member of their society? Did she even do any of her own chores to get water or wash clothing? Hardly, she hired a girl to do it for her!
   For those of you who know nothing about lust and travel, tourist can easily find a Masai man to sleep with and Masai men can easily find a tourist to help make a living for themselves. Its a give and take relationship that most people accept as just that. Sure some fall in love! This is mainly what her story was! Nothing more!
   I'm not sure about what Lketinga's feelings are from reading her side of the story, but I can tell you that alot of men from these tourist countries thrive off of finding a foreign woman with money to help them survive. That's how I saw her story.
   Not many Outsiders can truly become a member of the Masai society like my family member did. And he is of a race and culture, you'd least expect to live in a home made of cow dung!
   Also her ignorance affected not only that sweet man but her daughter. That man was living out his culture and his beliefs and didn't deserve her abandonment with his child.
   I don't mean any disrespect to their daughter by talking about her parents but, I just feel her mother doesn't deserve the rights to profit from this tale. I personally know other people who actually deserve more reputable respects than she does for living with and understanding Masai people and they don't receive any movies or acknowledgments like she does. They just continue to live their lives and look back on their past experiences with joy.
   Basically, her experiences were nothing to write a book over or to make a sequel to. I suppose if you know nothing about lust and tourism, or Masai culture you could easily find this book amusing. But a romantic tale, it is not!!!!!



5. A great follw up to the two previous books - i really enjoyed this easy to read book.

5 comments about Dandelion: Memoir of a Free Spirit.

1. This book is not *just* about Hollywood Royalty from the 30's and 40's , although her whole family hails from that golden era. It's not *just* about love affairs with Rock and Roll Legends, but you will find kisses from the likes of Denny Laine( Moody Blues & Wings) & father of her son), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones),and Jackson Browne have graced her lips. She counts Roger Daltrey (The Who),Pamela DesBarres,Patti D'arbanville amoung her closest friends.
   
   However..This is NOT a book of casual name dropping. This is a memoir of a turbulent childhood, a peek at the demons that she faced,and the many legions of angels who have come to her rescue.
   
   Catherine James takes you on a journey that is simply amazing. For those who don't "like to read", this book is SUCH an easy read. It's like sitting down with her and listening to her chat with you.
   
   Catherine comes full circle and I enjoyed every single minute of it.
   I look forward to the sequel.. and Catherine? maybe Diane Keaton can play YOUR double in the film version? :)
   
   Pattie xo



2. This is my first book review and I decided to write a little something because this book made me feel so happy, and I think it will make someone else happy too.I have been reading many books on LA rock early 1970's, and then I came upon this little TREASURE. It captured me immediately, and I really hope that Catherine will write another book, because she brought joy to me, and through the thick and thin she remained spiritual and asked and she received! I think this book gives more than just insight to the wonderful days of English rock stars and American poets (which is what intrigued me in the first place), it is inspiring and gives you courage to see the good in any situation.I hope you pick it up, you may just want to read it again and again.



3. Can you imagine a fictional story about a woman who marries a man who she knows is a closet transvestite, then discovers that her estranged father, who was a macho race car driver, has also turned into a closet transvestite and then into a transsexual? And how about the glamous but psychotic and perennially drugged wife of this race car driver who routinely feeds her children only rotting food laced with tabasco sauce and treats them sadistically in so many other ways, in her Beverly Hills home. Can you then imagine that the paternal aunt of this woman was a Miss American runner up and a Zeigfield girl who couldn't keep a string of husbands for more than 2 years each, and ends up making a dependent impotent alcoholic mama's boy of her son, as the only constant male in her life. An impossibly contrived plot, right? Well, once again, reality is more unbelievable than fiction, according to the author, Catherine James. This is quite a readible account of a bizarrely improbable life, with a very twisted start, but then with a series of mentors related to the pop music business, who gave her a shot at a more normal life.
   I would have liked some thoughts on what might have caused her mother to be the extreme monster reported. Apparently, she had beauty as well as many talents, including being a compulsive cat burglar. But this was a wasted drugged life, in which she regularly dished out sadism and jealousy toward everyone. Was she probably just born to be such a monster, or were there events in her young life that soured her attitute toward others? Surely, Catherine could have absorbed some evidence from her grandmother. In a similar vein, perhaps she could have offered some explanation for her father's transformation from a macho race car driver into a transsexual. Nor does she offer(as I did above) a plausible explanation for her aunt Claire making a disfunctional mama's boy out of her son Blake.



4. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have not seen it in my local bookstore as of yet. It is an extremely moving book (especially the end).I had taken an interest in her story after I had read another book with an excerpt about her in it. I truly was not dissappointed with this read.



5. Catherine James is a inspiring,loving,inovative spirit. She over came all the obsticals that life tossed at her and came out a true winner. I wish her the best in what ever she does.

5 comments about Chicken with Plums.

1. Marjane Satrapi, Chicken with Plums (Pantheon, 2006)
   
   Satrapi's fourth book gives us biography instead of memoir this time-- the story of her great-uncle Nasser Ali Khan, a musician who decides to die after his wife breaks his favorite instrument. We are taken through the final eight days of Khan's life, as friends, relatives, and his own consciousness try to change his mind.
   
   I admit that my somewhat cool reaction to the book is almost certainly a product of the complete overload of memoirs and memoir-like biographies with which the market is currently glutted; I'm relatively sure this will be my last one for a long, long while, save one series-memoir I'm in the middle of. I say this because it's certainly not a bad book; Marjane Satrapi is a witty writer, and no less here than in her other books; Chicken with Plums is as enjoyable as anything else she's done. I just couldn't get my head round it as much as it deserved. ***



2. This is a story of a man who lives for music and a tragic love. It is a very simple yet wonderful tale of a man who doesn't seem to know how to live. He becomes a great musician but can't work and loses the love of his life due to his devotion to music. Without music and his memory of great love, he dies. The man's family, friends and relatives don't seem to count in his estimation of life. I found this book very moving and very touching. I think some reviewers took offense since it differs from her most famous book but this one holds its own and is very special. I highly recommend this book. It is very touching and the ending is just as tragic as the main character's life.



3. I just finished Chicken with Plums, and I loved it. It has about a human condition. In this case a man, who is living a life that he felt he did not own, except his musical instrument, and the secret it held for him.
   It is deceptively simple, but it is deep in what it conveys to the reader.
   I noticed some readers felt that the book was not finished, or they were confused about it. However, I found it very clear, honest, and funny at times. It made me sad too. I wonder how many of us live a life like Nasser Ali Khan, the musician? The life that is not truly an expression of our hearts.



4. Having read Persepolis I and II, as well as Embroideries, I was excited to snatch up Chicken With Plums as well. And despite some of the negative reviews here (which almost dissauded me), I found this book one of Satrapi's most magical, perfect creations. It's quite different than the autobiographical, child-like Persepolis I, though readers of Persepolis II and Embroideries will recognize the general tone and style. That said, it's a work that takes you by surprise with its directness, honesty, and sheer invention.
   
   The book follows the last eight days of Nasser Ali Khan's life, as he decides to resign himself to death after his wife, in an argument, destroys his precious "tar"--an Iranian sitar-like instrument. He is a master musician, renowned throughout the country, and the great love affair of his life (despite one thwarted human one) was with this reciprocating instrument. Unable to find another tar to requite his passion, he loses all taste for life and its joys, and decides to stay in bed until Azrael, the Angel of Death, comes for his soul. While waiting, we get a series of flashbacks and flashforwards as he--and others--recount the stories and anecdotes that frame his life. Reading this book is like listening in on family stories around the dinner table, which by their very nature are fragmentary, interrputed, and from multiple points of view.
   
   Though a simple story, the manner of telling it is amazingly complex and mesmerizing. Satrapi's storytelling is at its most concise here, but so much is revealed about the very human passions that shape a life, and how blind we are even to the people we live with. This is a magical book, filled with Satrapi's beautiful characterizations of the people she knew and loved. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.



5. Drawn in bold black and white, Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel illustrates the moving and disturbing life and last days of her uncle, Nasser Ali Kahn. He was a famous Iranian musician, loved for his virtuosity, and the sensitivity with which he played his beloved tar.
   
   It's a tale of how a man's happiness was gradually eroded by his culture, loss, suppressed feelings, and unrealizable expectations.
   
   The story starts with an older man in black walking down a city street. He encounters a slender woman with her grandchild. He hesitates. Asks if her name is Irane. She doesn't recognize him. Wonders how he knows her name. He, Nasser, apologizes and walks on to a friends business where he hopes to buy a replacement for his recently broken tar.
   
   We later learn that the broken tar had special meaning for Nasser. When he was a young man, the parents of the woman he'd fallen in love with forbade her to marry him because he was only a musician. Losing her plunged him into deep depression. He had difficulty playing. Nasser's tar master tried to console him by telling him, "To the common man, whether you're a musician or a clown, it's one and the same. The love you feel for this woman will translate into your music. She will be in every note you play." He then gave Nasser his own tar and instructed him to go on playing.
   
   From then on, Nasser's joy was his music. His playing thrilled his audiences
   
   Since childhood he'd been unable to meet the conventional expectations of others. His mother's, his brother's, his teachers', the parents of the woman he loved, his wife, his children.
   
   His mother urged him to marry a woman he didn't love so that he would forget his loss. Although the woman he married did love him, she resented his music. His children, influenced by their mother's attitude, became estranged from him. This drove him further and further into his music.
   
   After he failed to find another tar equal to his broken one, feeling that without that tar and his music there was nothing else he wanted, Nasser came to the conclusion, "To live, it's not enough to be alive." He decided to die.
   
   This where the novel really begins. Through Satrapi's masterful construction, we are able to piece together what we need to understand who Nassar was, and why he would make this tragic choice.
   
   Satrapi reveals Nasser's life and character by skillfully rearranging temporal events - picking up a incident, then dropping it, and then weaving it in later on in the story with new threads. She loops the past into the present, the future into the past. Sometimes, from frame to frame, she switches back and forth between the past and the present, showing how a character's unhappy memories and lingering hurt become emotional IEDs on the path to true understanding.
   
   There are many lenses through which to "see" another person, many ways in which to know them. At Nassaer's mother's funeral, a mystic tells him the story of five men in the dark trying to describe a whole elephant from the part each has touched. "We give meaning to life based upon our point of view," he tells Nasser. In Chicken With Plums, through characters and events, Satrapi gives us the whole elephant.
   
   As the novel progresses, Satrapi's drawings become more expressive and surreal, adding more decorative touches. Her work resembles animation, almost cartoonish, but her story has the depth of a great novel. She has the timing of a film maker, knowing just what to show when, and how to keep the mystery and tension to the end.
   
   Chicken With Plums has touched me deeply. It's a heart breaking story of love on many levels, fulfilled and unfulfilled. I believe Nasser died of a broken heart. Without Irane and without his music, he could not find a way to be in this world.